International Student Mobility and Transnational Friendships

Friends play a crucial role in international students' lives. This book explores the characteristics of the friendship networks of international doctoral students by analysing the relationships between these students and their friends, both in the country of education and across several national borders.

"International student mobility is a phenomenon of ever growing importance. This new contribution by Bilecen makes a valuable extension to our understanding of how international students are part of transnational networks. The sharp focus of this volume on the significance of transnational friendships by doctoral students will be of especial interest to sociologists and geographers as they seek to extend their understanding of the significance of spatial and social proximity in the lived experience of international students." - Allan Findlay, University of St Andrews, Scotland

"This book makes a significant contribution to the growing literature on international student migration and mobility. It brings a novel 'friendship' lens to further understand the lives of highly skilled transnationalists, and their role in creating social networks within the global economy." - Russell King, Professor of Geography, University of Sussex, UK

Autorentext

Ba?ak Bilecen is a Lecturer and Researcher at Bielefeld University, Germany. Her research interests include sociology of migration, transnational studies, relational sociology and social network analysis.

Inhalt

1. Transnational Friendships and Supportive Practices: An Introduction 2. The Contemporary Meaning of Friendship 3. Friendship as 'Emotional Work' 4. Friendship as Trust and Reciprocity 5. Friendship as Solidarity 6. A Relational Examination of Distance, Meanings and Practices